


On Converging Paths

by LuckE1



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Blood, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, KuroDai Week, KuroDai Week 2020, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Robbery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24039721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckE1/pseuds/LuckE1
Summary: Of all of the ways that they could've seen each other again, Daichi never expected that this would be their first meeting after a few years of radio silence.Cop Daichi & Victim Kuroo!
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 24
Kudos: 175
Collections: KuroDai Week 2020





	1. Day 1 & 2

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to KuroDai week 2020! I've combined some of the themes together in some of the chapters.  
> For this chapter, I present Day One and Day Two:  
> Earth|Sky, Day|Night
> 
> Be sure to check out Velvloid's artwork for this chapter, as well! She's an amazing artist, go check out her page!  
> Thank you, Tayu, for the lovely edits, too :)
> 
> Happy reading!

The stars were beautiful tonight, Daichi thought as he leaned against his squad car. Not a cloud in the sky, but no moon either, and it gave the stars a chance to shine brilliantly against the black sky.

He usually hated the night patrols of the city. They were usually long and uncomfortable, and he was always too wired to get some sleep when he got home, so he always ended up staying up for nearly 24 hours.

But tonight, at least the views were beautiful. It was a peaceful scene. Not an interruption in sight—

"Sergeant!"

A loud knocking on the squad car's window pulled Daichi from his thoughts, and he took a long, deep breath to try to calm himself. He glanced inside his cop car to see his partner, Koji, frantically knocking to get his attention.

Daichi sighed and then opened the car door and climbed inside. Koji was fairly new to the force. He was a little bit of a nervous nelly, but he was nice enough.

"What is it, Koji?" he asked.

"We have a situation," Koji said, putting on his seatbelt.

Daichi's heart leaped, and he quickly yanked his seatbelt on and started the car.

"Where?" Daichi asked.

"Ah, down by the college. Someone broke into an apartment," Koji explained.

Daichi nodded and turned on the sirens on the car, and then he booked it down the street towards the address that Tanaka provided.

"I heard that there might've been a scuffle or something," Koji said, "but Mei-san was talking too fast, so I couldn't really tell."

Daichi rolled his eyes. Their dispatcher was a complete spazz—she would always freak out whenever a call would come in. It reminded him of a certain blond-haired co-manager that he used to know in volleyball club so many years ago.

Ah. He missed those days.

"Ah, there it is!"

Daichi blinked back to reality at the sight of red and blue flashing lights in the distance. He pulled in and turned the siren off, leaving the lights on. He stepped out of the car first and hurried into the apartment complex, his hand on his gun at his hip. Koji scrambled behind, and Daichi could hear his footsteps pattering against the carpet of the hallway.

They ascended one flight of stairs and walked down to the middle row of rooms where a few officers had gathered. When they reached the opened doorway of the apartment, Daichi's eyes widened.

He only had a view of the living room, but it was already a mess. A bookshelf had been knocked over, scattering several papers and thick looking science books everywhere. The coffee table looked busted, and a lamp had shattered on the floor.

It was definitely a break-in, but it looked more severe than that.

"Wow, this is… nuts," Koji said, following Daichi into the damaged apartment.

"Yeah, no kidding," Daichi said. There was even a hole in the wall. How did that happen? "Did Mei say anything about there being damage to the property?"

Koji shook his head as they assessed the room. "No, she didn't mention anything about it."

Daichi sighed, looking around the mangled apartment. Was there a scuffle?

He glanced at Koji and rubbed the back of his neck. "All right, I guess we can inspect the room and talk to the resident, if they're here."

"Ah, I think he is," Koji said, pointing off in a direction behind Daichi.

Daichi nodded. "Okay. I'll go see what happened."

Koji nodded and gave a silly salute, moving to look at the damage done to the property.

Daichi smiled and rolled his eyes, turning around to face the kitchen area. He nodded to a fellow officer as he passed by. He could hear voices talking in the kitchen, which meant that another officer had already started questioning the resident.

"And you're sure you don't know what he looked like?"

"Sorry. I didn't get a good look at his face. He was wearing a ski mask."

Daichi's stepped stuttered at the voice, his heart fluttering wildly in his chest. He increased his pace as he rounded the corner, nearly tripping over his own feet as he stepped into the kitchen.

His eyes widened at the sight.

Wide, broad shoulders.

Long legs with thick thighs.

Black hair that stuck up in odd directions.

So he hadn't heard wrong.

It was that damned cat from Nekoma.

"Kuroo?" Daichi said under his breath, too quietly for anyone to hear.

The officer in front of Kuroo had twisted lips, looking a bit frustrated. He hummed lightly and wrote down what Kuroo had just said.

"That makes things complicated," the officer said, furrowing his brows. "It helps if you at least got the color of the guy's hair or something."

Kuroo winced a little, and that was when Daichi noticed that he was holding his right arm a little too tightly for it to be just nervousness. He looked hurt.

"Yeah, I know. He was about my height, if that helps," Kuroo said.

The officer looked him over once and then nodded, writing it down. Kuroo winced again when the officer said nothing, and Daichi felt his blood boil. Kuroo was obviously in pain, but it seemed that the officer only cared about his own agenda.

Daichi moved forward as the officer rattled off another question, and he stopped right next to Kuroo and glared at the officer.

"I think that's enough questioning for now," Daichi said.

Both the officer and Kuroo snapped their heads towards him, their eyes wide.

"Sawamura?" Kuroo said.

Daichi gave him a brief smile before turning back to glare the other officer down.

"Ah—Sergeant!" the officer said, nearly dropping his notepad. "I was just taking notes here. Trying to get more information."

"Did you put anywhere on those notes about Kuroo's injury?" Daichi said, placing a hand on Kuroo's shoulder.

Kuroo jolted, looking at Daichi like he had two heads, but he allowed Daichi to turn him so he could get a good look at Kuroo's arm. It was obviously broken, but his sleeve on the underside of his arm was also soaked in red.

"Um…" the officer fumbled.

"Did you call an ambulance?" Daichi hissed, looking to the officer.

The officer stiffened. "No, Sir."

Daichi sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Fine. I'll take care of things here. You file the report."

"Y-Yes, Sergeant!"

The officer scampered away, leaving the two of them alone in the kitchen while the rest of the officers inspected the battered apartment.

"Ah, so I see you've still got the same charm as always, Sawamura-kun."

Daichi glanced up at Kuroo's face, watching as it twisted into his usual smirk. Daichi smiled back in return, cocking a brow at him.

"And you're still as ugly as ever," Daichi said.

Kuroo tilted his head back slightly and moved to put a hand over his heart.

"Oh, you wound me! Why must you be so cruel?" Kuroo said, his voice a bit strained. After his little charade, he hissed slightly and moved his hand back to his right arm, holding it tightly.

"That looks bad," Daichi said with a frown.

He gently moved Kuroo by his shoulders to get a good look at his arm. It was definitely fractured, but he couldn't quite figure out where the blood was coming from.

"Well, if it weren't for the stab wound, then it'd be alright," Kuroo said with a slight shrug.

Daichi nearly got whiplash from how fast he looked up at Kuroo.

"Stab wound?!" Daichi exclaimed. He glanced back down at Kuroo's arm and gently took it in his own grasp, lightly turning it so he can better assess the damage.

"A-Ah." Kuroo, for once in his life, looked stumped. He swallowed and took on a more somber expression. "Yeah, but it's superficial. It's not that deep."

Daichi frowned when he saw more blood dripping onto the floor. "Well, let's leave that for actual doctors. C'mon."

He grabbed Kuroo's opposite shoulder and started leading him out of his apartment.

"Huh? Wait, where are we going?" Kuroo asked.

"Hospital," Daichi answered.

Kuroo's brow creased. "Can't you just call an ambulance?"

"That would take too long at this point. Too much backtracking," Daichi said. He glanced over at Koji who was staring at the broken flat screen on the wall in dismay. "Koji, I'm taking him to the hospital."

Koji jumped and looked towards them, his eyes wide when he saw Kuroo's bad arm. He glanced back to his Sergeant, looking a little frazzled.

"Oh, uh! Did you need me to come with you?" Koji asked.

Daichi waved him off with his free hand. "Don't worry about it. Just take point here, okay?"

Koji nodded, his back stiff, and he quickly walked off to speak to another officer. Daichi didn't get to hear much of what he said, as both he and Kuroo were leaving the apartment, but he was confident that Koji could get the job done.

"I didn't mean to put you out like this," Kuroo said, his voice soft. "Aren't I getting in the way?"

Daichi rolled his eyes. "Now you're talking about getting in my way? Where was this talk when you and Bokuto tormented us during the training camps?"

That put a smile back on Kuroo's face, but it wasn't quite his usual playful smirk. Just soft and gentle.

Daichi helped into his squad car and then he got in to start it up. He kept the lights on and started down the road, hurrying towards the hospital. It was quiet for a few moments, which was unusual. Kuroo was normally the type to keep a conversation going the whole time.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daichi could see Kuroo trembling a bit. He wondered if he was just frazzled out of his wits by what happened.

"So…" Daichi started, trying to distract Kuroo from his mind. "You live around here now?"

Kuroo nodded. "Yeah. I'm working on my Ph.D. at the university," he answered.

"Wow, that's really admirable," Daichi said, looking at him. "Must be difficult work."

"Eh, not too bad. I'm a TA there, so I usually have late nights at the lab," Kuroo said. He frowned and held his arm closer to his body. "I was actually out late tonight, and when I came home, that guy was there."

Daichi frowned and did a quick glance over Kuroo's injuries before looking back to the road.

"Did he attack you?" Daichi asked, turning at an intersection.

Kuroo nodded. "Yeah. I actually thought I had walked into the wrong apartment at first, heh."

His chuckle was weak as he leaned against the door of Daichi's car, looking out the window and up into the sky. They fell into a tense silence that had Daichi scrambling for something to say. It wasn't as if he and Kuroo were the best of friends in high school—heck, they'd only run into each other a handful of times. And once nationals was over, so was their constant communication.

In all the times that he had known Kuroo, he was always the one to talk first. So now, Daichi felt out of his comfort zone. He had no idea what to do.

"The stars are pretty tonight," Daichi said. "Sometimes we don't get a good view of 'em around here."

Kuroo breathed out quietly, tilting his head back to look up. He huffed a small breath, his smile slightly pulling up on one side in a faint smirk.

"Aren't you the romantic?" Kuroo teased.

Daichi smiled and chuckled softly. "Well, Suga tells me I'm too dense when it comes to that stuff."

"Is that right?" Kuroo wondered. "Well, I'd be happy to be someone you can practice on, Sawamura-kun."

He wiggled his eyebrow at Daichi, who in turn, rolled his eyes. "In your dreams."

Kuroo sighed and leaned against the headrest. "Your loss."

Daichi smiled again, finally feeling more at ease. But his gut was pulling at him in an odd way.

Was it just him, or did Kuroo seem a bit disappointed?

Daichi twisted his lips as he concentrated on the road. Kuroo was probably just tired from the day's events.

Yeah. That was probably it.

Daichi pulled into the emergency wing of the hospital and rushed to help Kuroo out of the car.

"Such a gentleman," Kuroo teased, but his voice was tight with pain. He was looking close to passing out.

Daichi wrapped an arm around him and held his waist.

"Save it for later, Kuroo. Let's get you inside," Daichi said.

Kuroo nodded stiffly and allowed Daichi to help walk him inside the emergency room, where nurses immediately rushed to his side with a wheelchair. When they forced Kuroo to sit down, his eyes widened and shot to Daichi, a desperate look appearing on his face.

"I'll wait for you here," Daichi said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Kuroo creased his brows and opened his mouth, as if he were about to protest, but Daichi was not about to let him do that.

"No, you're not bothering me. My shift ends in like 10 minutes anyway, so I'm basically off the clock," Daichi said, folding his arms across his chest. "So you're going to let the doctors do their thing, and then I'm going to drive you back. Sound good?"

Kuroo slumped, any willpower to argue completely gone from his body. He nodded and smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you, Sawamura," Kuroo said.

Daichi nodded and then waved him off. "All right, go on. Get healed."

Kuroo smiled and lifted up his good hand in a silly salute. "Aye-aye, Captain."

"It's Sergeant," Daichi corrected as Kuroo was wheeled away. He could hear Kuroo scoffing as he disappeared beyond the double doors.

Daichi took in a deep breath and sighed, allowing his body to finally react to the night's events. He hadn't realized how wound up he was from it all. He had dealt with much worse, being in this job and all. But now that it was with someone he knew… well, Daichi supposed that made things more complicated.

After another moment of internal panic, he walked over to the seats in the lobby area and sat stiffly, his eyes glancing down at his watch.

This… was going to be a long night.

* * *

After catching himself almost nodding off a few dozen times and almost three cups of coffee, Kuroo finally emerged out of the double doors with a nervous smile and a sling around his neck. His forearm and wrist were covered in a thick, red cast—fitting for someone like Kuroo. He must've been given the choice on the color, but Daichi didn't know they made red casts.

A doctor was walking next to him, showing him some paperwork. Kuroo seemed anxious and overwhelmed as she tried to explain something on the forms to him. He looked in desperate need for some rescuing.

"Kuroo!" Daichi called, pushing himself to his feet. Kuroo looked up from the paper and locked eyes with Daichi, his shoulders immediately dropping just at the sight of him. Daichi hurried over to his side and looked him over. "Everything okay?"

Kuroo averted his eyes for a moment, looking shy. "Ah, yeah. It's not too bad."

The doctor quirked her brow. "Not too bad? Your radius was broken in two places!"

Kuroo winced, and Daichi frowned in confusion, looking to Kuroo for help. Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's one of the bones in the forearm," Kuroo explained.

"Ah," Daichi said, unsure of what else to say.

"Yes, and not only that, he has stitches from the stab wound. He needs a day of rest _at least,"_ the doctor said. "And he needs to get this prescription filled for painkillers. The break is going to hurt a lot this week."

"Oh, r-right!" Daichi only just now realized that she was talking to _him._ As if he was Kuroo's keeper. "I'll keep an eye out for him."

The doctor smiled and bowed, handing Kuroo the paper prescription and leaving the two alone.

Kuroo let out a tired sigh, the bags under his eyes more prominent. He fidgeted in place and fiddled with his cast—obviously unused to it and already showing signs of agitation.

"Thanks for staying. You really didn't have to," Kuroo said.

Daichi smiled. It was rare to see such a shy Kuroo. "Don't get all mushy. I was just doing it for the job," he teased.

Kuroo raised a brow. "Didn't your shift end a while ago?"

Daichi gently put an arm around his shoulders. "Details. Whatever. Let's just get you home."

Kuroo let out a huff of laughter and followed Daichi out to the car. It was still dark out, luckily, which meant that Daichi could get home and get a few more hours of shuteye before the sun made its way into the bedroom to wake him up.

The car ride was silent, and Daichi wondered if Kuroo was too pumped up full of pain meds to speak. But every time he glanced over, he would see Kuroo still awake, his eyes staring out the window. Daichi would try to start a conversation but it always fell flat, leaving the air thick with awkwardness.

Of all of the ways that they could've seen each other again, Daichi never expected that _this_ would be their first meeting after a few years of radio silence. It was insane how life worked sometimes.

While Daichi regretted that Kuroo was hurt in the first place, he was thankful that he got to be on the case. If another unit had been called instead of Daichi, then... then he never would've reunited with him.

The thought sat heavily in Daichi's stomach as he drove.

When they pulled up to the apartment complex, all of the squad cars had left. Daichi got out of his car first and then helped Kuroo out.

"I still have one working arm, you know," Kuroo pouted.

Daichi smiled. "I know. I'm just wanting to help."

Kuroo managed a small smile and sighed, looking up at the apartment complex.

"I hope they locked up my place," Kuroo said, hand on his hip.

"Ah, I texted Koji and asked him to lock up for you," Daichi said. "And he said they tried to clean up as best as possible."

Kuroo's face changed into surprise, his eyes wide and lips parted. He nodded and thought it over a bit. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck again.

"Oh," Kuroo said. He took a moment to recover from the surprise, and when he did, he looked up at Daichi and smiled. "Thank you, Sawamura."

Something fluttered inside of Daichi's chest, and with a start, he realized it was he treacherous heart that had made a phenomenal leap.

He had never seen that kind of smile on Kuroo's face before.

And Daichi had certainly never felt his heart do _that_ before.

He cleared his throat and put on a smile, trying to act as calm as possible.

"You're welcome," Daichi managed to say.

Kuroo let out a breath from his nose and then glanced up at the sky. His eyes sparkled.

"I thought I'd be bored moving to this city. It's not as fast-paced as Tokyo," Kuroo said. He took a deep breath and sighed. "But… the stars _are_ nice."

Daichi smiled as he gazed over him, his heart squeezing at a different sight.

"Yeah. They are."


	2. Day 3 & 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, all of these chapters are related! So the story is continuous.
> 
> This chapter is both day three and day four.   
> Day Three & Four: Sound|Silence, Dark|Light
> 
> Thank you, Tayu, for the edits!
> 
> Happy reading!

It had been a few days since the incident, and Daichi was back to his usual daytime shift. It had been a quiet day. He and Koji went on their patrol, helped an old lady with directions, and then came back to the precinct.

The day had been slow, which was probably a good thing since Daichi had been completely distracted the entire shift. His mind would always go back to a certain messy-haired cat with a dopey smile.

Huh. He wondered how Kuroo was doing. He was concerned about his injuries. Was he healing properly? Giving himself time to rest?

Maybe he should pay the university a visit...

"Sergeant!"

Koji came by his desk and waved, smile wide.

"Ah, Koji. What's up?" Daichi asked.

Koji pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "We're heading out to the bar. You're coming, right?"

Another officer behind him chuckled. "And you're inviting Sugawara-san again, right?"

Koji laughed a little. "Yeah! Invite Sugawara-san! He was really fun last time!"

Daichi raised an amused brow at him.

"Fun? You mean when he got so hammered that he harassed the bartender for not giving him that little umbrella?" Daichi asked.

"Aw, he didn't cause any harm," Koji said.

"Except that the bartender almost threw us all out," Daichi said, looking back down at the paperwork on his desk.

"Yeah, but it was all in good fun! You convinced him not to go any further, anyway," Koji said. "So, you coming?"

Daichi smiled politely at him and shook his head. While he normally would accept—after making sure Suga could come, too— he couldn't keep his mind off of Kuroo.

Ah, Suga would be disappointed.

"Sorry, not tonight," Daichi said, stacking his papers neatly on his desk. "Got somewhere to be."

Koji frowned hard. "Aw, really? You sure?"

"I'm sure."

Koji frowned and slumped, tossing his bag over his shoulder.

"Man. Okay. But next time, right?" Koji asked, looking more hopeful.

"For sure. And I'll bring the crazy one with me," Daichi said.

Koji smiled and then saluted him with two fingers from his temple. "Have a good night, Sergeant!"

"Night," Daichi said.

He watched Koji and the others leave while the night shifters came in to fill their empty desks. He sighed, deciding that his paperwork would never get finished tonight.

After hiding the paperwork in the locked drawer of his desk and quickly changing into his civilian clothes, he headed out and meandered down the street towards the university. The sun was still a bit above the horizon. He wondered if he could ask Kuroo to dinner.

He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks feeling hot. Would that be too… forward? Too soon?

Ah, what if he was reading too into this? Kuroo might not even be interested in anything like this.

Daichi sighed, hanging his head. No, he shouldn't get his hopes up.

He was just about to talk himself into a depression when he felt a buzz in his pocket. He pulled out his phone to see an incoming call from Suga.

Ah, Daichi thought. Here comes the waterworks.

"Hey, Suga," Daichi answered.

"Daichi! When are we going to the bar?" Suga's voice chimed over the speaker. "Asahi is in! And I think a few others are coming, too."

Daichi twisted his lips. "I'm not sure I'm going tonight."

"Huh?!"

Daichi moved the phone away from his ear just as Suga screamed into it. He sighed and put the phone back, waiting for the scolding.

"Why?!" Suga asked, practically whining. "I was going to style my hair and everything!"

"You won't ever fix your cow-lick, Suga. Just give up now."

" _Hey._ Don't underestimate my skills here."

Daichi chuckled softly, his steps still guiding him towards the university. He looked at the signs for the sciences building and headed in that direction.

"So, what are your plans today, then? They must be important if you're skipping hanging out with us," Suga said.

"Ah, I'm actually meeting someone," Daichi said.

"Huh?! You're _meeting someone?!_ " Suga exclaimed. "Sawamura Daichi, are you going on a date? Oh, tell me! What does she look like? How'd you meet her?"

Daichi rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. He had a bad feeling about this.

"No, it's uh… it's not a date," Daichi said. "I'm meeting an old friend."

Suga let out a disappointed noise. "Ah, a friend. So, who is it?"

Oh, boy.

"It's… Kuroo."

There was a brief pause, followed by a curious squeak.

"Eh? Kuroo? As in Kuroo Testurou? From Nekoma? _That_ Kuroo?" Suga asked, his voice growing more and more excited with each word.

Daichi sighed as he turned at the corner of the building and headed towards the front doors of the sciences building.

"Yes, _that_ Kuroo," Daichi said.

"Interesting," Suga said teasingly.

"Suga," Daichi warned.

"Now why on earth would you, Sawamura Daichi, go out of his way to meet Kuroo, a guy he hasn't seen in years?" Suga teased.

Daichi rolled his eyes. "It's a long story."

"I've got time," Suga said cheerfully. Damn, why was he always so sly?

"Ugh, Suga, don't read into it, okay? He was just… part of a case I was working on a few days ago and bumped into him," Daichi said. He decided to leave out the little details for now. If he spilled everything that happened that night, Suga would never hang up. "So I'm just checking in. That's all."

"Ah…" Suga's voice trailed off. "There has to be more to it."

Daichi sighed. "Suga."

"Okay, okay! I won't push," Suga said. "Yet."

" _Suga!"_

"Okay! Don't get all grumpy," Suga laughed. "Have fun! But I'm definitely calling you tomorrow for details!"

"You're insufferable," Daichi said with a sigh. "Talk to you later."

"Bye!"

He quickly hung up before Suga could add anything else to the conversation. He was in no mood to be teased about this.

So what if he's only dated one person? And that person happened to be Yui?

Ugh. Daichi was the worst. He was such a baby.

Daichi shook his head, flinging the thoughts away, and he hurried into the sciences building. He glanced around, watching as students walked down the halls. He spotted one walking by herself and he walked over to her to ask where the labs were. He was pointed in the direction of the south hall, last door on the left.

He meandered down the hall, trying his best to look like he belonged. Although, with his broad shoulders and thick build, it was obvious he wasn't a scientist or even an awkward 18-year-old. But, he tried to remain inconspicuous as he made his way down the hall and stopped in front of an opened door. At just a glance, he could see the lab room, but it looked mostly empty.

But, Daichi poked his head inside to find that it wasn't empty.

There Kuroo was, standing in the corner and holding a clipboard in his hand. His right arm was still in a sling, although it looked twisted as if he struggled to put it on properly.

Daichi furrowed his brows. Had no one been helping him with daily life since he's been in a cast? It didn't even look like anyone signed it.

He moved inside the room, about to call out to him, when suddenly, Kuroo dropped the clipboard from his hand.

Daichi's eyes widened. "Kuroo?"

The man stumbled forward, barely catching himself on the lab table with his one arm. Kuroo's sling bumped a stack of beakers, all of them falling to the ground and clattering to the floor.

"Kuroo!" Daichi shouted as he hurried to Kuroo's side. He gently wrapped an arm around his waist and supported his weight. "Kuroo, are you okay?"

Kuroo blinked blearily at him, his brows pushing together in confusion as he stared at Daichi's face.

"Sawamura? What are you… doing here?" Kuroo's voice was pinched, and there was a light sheen on his forehead.

"Here, sit down first," Daichi said, guiding him to one of the lab stools. He gingerly lowered him down, and as soon as he relaxed, Kuroo let out a sigh in relief. "Kuroo, what happened? You looked like you were about to faint."

Kuroo hunched over on his knees, his left arm supporting himself while his right arm stayed plastered to his chest in the sling.

"Ah, I was?" Kuroo asked. He lifted his head to touch his forehead. "I was just… looking at some numbers for my professor." He peeked up at Daichi through one eye. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I came to check up on you. I guess it's a good thing that I did," Daichi said.

Kuroo groaned and sighed, his shoulders slumping. Daichi pulled up a second stool and sat down next to him, putting a hand on Kuroo's good shoulder. Now that he was sitting close, Daichi could see the dark circles under Kuroo's eyes.

"Kuroo, what's wrong? You look like hell," Daichi said.

He glanced around, looking for a water bottle or something. Kuroo, who seemed to notice his floundering, flopped his hand down on his lap and pointed towards his bag that was on the floor. Daichi knelt down and rummaged through it, grabbing the item he was looking for.

Kuroo sat up and took the bottle gratefully. "Thanks," he said, trying to uncap it one-handed. He frowned as he struggled with the lid.

"Oh, shit," Daichi said, quickly uncapping the bottle for him. "Sorry."

Kuroo shook his head as he took big swigs of the water. Once he was done, he leaned forward and gasped, half of the bottle gone.

"Thank you," Kuroo said. "I guess… I'm more tired than I thought."

Daichi frowned. "What's been going on?"

Kuroo seemed hesitant to answer at first. He adjusted on his seat and looked down at the bottled water in his hand. He took in a deep breath, suddenly shrinking under Daichi's gaze. It was that same look he had on his face the night they reunited.

And Daichi hated it.

"Well, I… I guess I haven't been sleeping well," Kuroo said. He set down his water bottle and then rubbed the back of his neck. "The apartment's a little…"

His voice trailed off, and realization donned in Daichi's mind. He leaned forward, trying to lock eyes with Kuroo.

"Kuroo, are you… scared of being in your apartment?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo looked up at him, shame in his eyes, and then quickly glanced away. Daichi sighed and sat up, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why didn't you call someone for help?" Daichi asked. _Me?_ he wanted to say. _Why didn't you call me?_

"I… don't really know anyone around here. Kenma's really busy with his business, and my dad is… well, I don't really want to bother him," Kuroo explained. "I kinda came out here alone, so…"

Daichi furrowed his brows. "But you could've called me," he said. He huffed, lowering his eyes. "I know I'm no Kenma, but… I considered us friends, at least."

Kuroo blinked at him, a little owlishly. "I don't have your number."

Daichi snapped his gaze back up at him, his face flushing a deep red at his mistake. He scrambled for his phone in his pocket and searched through his contacts. There was no Kuroo Testurou to be found.

"A-Ah…" Daichi fumbled, scratching his cheek. "I guess… that's true." He pursed his lips and then held out his phone to Kuroo. "So, we should change that, right?"

Smooth, Daichi. Real smooth.

And as if right on cue, Kuroo smirked.

"If you wanted my number that badly, Sawamura, all you had to do was ask," Kuroo said, taking the phone from him.

"Watch it," Daichi said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Heh," Kuroo chucked softly. He input his number and handed it back over. "How'd you know I was here?"

"I didn't really. But I knew you were in the sciences program," Daichi said with a shrug. "Thought I'd stop by and see if you were here, at least."

"You remembered, huh?" Kuroo said with a huff and a smile. "How thoughtful of you."

"Yeah, well… I had to check up on you. See if you were doing alright," Daichi said. He tugged on the sling and untwisted it. "You said you were having trouble sleeping?"

Kuroo sighed, his free hand reaching up to rub his eyes. "Yeah, I… it's too quiet in my apartment," he admitted. "And every little noise I hear freaks me out, so I don't really sleep very much."

Daichi finally got the sling corrected and he tilted his head at Kuroo. An idea popped into his head and he sighed.

Oh, boy. Suga would never let him live this down.

"Why don't you stay with me for the night? So you can get some rest?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo snapped his head up at him, eyes wide and jaw dropped slightly. He blinked at Daichi silently for a few moments, leaving Daichi to feel self-conscious.

"R-Really?" Kuroo asked. "You… You'd let me stay with you?"

"Of course. Let me help you out," Daichi said. "Um, well… that is, if you want. There's no pressure. At all."

Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes lowering to his fixed sling. After a minute, he smiled, genuine and shy. He looked up at Daichi and tilted his head.

"Sure," Kuroo said. "That… sounds nice."

Daichi smiled and hopped off of the stool, moving to help Kuroo stand up on his own. He leaned down and grabbed his bag for him.

"Let's go to your place first and grab what you need for the night. Then we'll go back to mine. Sound good?" Daichi asked, slinging the bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah. That's cool," Kuroo said, following him out of the lab. "But hey, no foolin' around, got it? I still have class tomorrow, and I don't want a sore back."

Daichi kicked the back of his leg on the way out.

* * *

They had gone back to Kuroo's apartment, and Daichi found that there was still a hole in the wall and a missing spot where the coffee table used to be. But everything else had been cleaned up to the best that Kuroo could do with one arm.

Damnit, Daichi thought. He really should've come back inside that night after he drove him back home from the hospital. There was no telling how traumatic that must've been. He could picture it: Kuroo coming home after having been frazzled out of his mind and finding that his apartment was still a mess. It was no wonder the poor guy couldn't sleep.

He chastised himself. Stupid. That was such a stupid mistake.

But Kuroo seemed much better now that he was leaving the apartment. Daichi carried his bag along with his computer bag back to his apartment.

"Make yourself at home," Daichi said as he opened the door to his apartment. "It's not much, but it'll do for now."

Kuroo looked around, a somber look on his face. "Wow, Sawamura. This is nice," he said. "I guess the police pay well. This is much bigger than my place."

"You're still a student, technically. Don't beat yourself up," Daichi said. "Guest bedroom is on the left down there. I'll start on dinner."

Kuroo gave him a charming smile before disappearing down the hall to drop off his bags. Daichi felt a flutter in his chest at the sight. Ah… he is in way over his head here.

He and Kuroo spent dinner catching up on the past few years; he apparently had been doing well at his job before, but he felt stuck. He reached the top of his company in no time, but he never felt appreciated. His boss sounded like a real piece of work. By how Kuroo described him, he was borderline verbally abusive. Daichi was glad Kuroo moved on to better things.

For more reasons than one…

He talked about how he and his dad had a falling out over his decision to move, and he excused the poor behavior for his grandfather's death. And Kenma even questioned his decision, calling it "rash."

They put on a random movie, but Daichi couldn't concentrate. His eyes were locked on the man next to him, how close they were to each other. Their thighs brushed every so often, and Daichi had the urge to slide his hand over to touch Kuroo's knee.

But he resisted, his hands instead bunching up his shorts.

Ugh, kill him now.

The sun had long set, and the credits were scrolling on the screen. Daichi yawned and stretched his hands above his head, working out all of the kinks from his workout the day before.

"I'm beat," Daichi said. He glanced over to Kuroo and rolled his shoulder. "You must be exhausted."

Kuroo gave him a weak smile. "Y-Yeah. I am... very tired."

Daichi noticed Kuroo's left hand fidgeting in his lap. He frowned, wondering if he had said something wrong.

"You okay?" Daichi asked, reaching over and gently grabbing Kuroo's shoulder.

Kuroo jumped at the touch and looked at Daichi with a panicked look in his eyes. But it was only there for a moment before Kuroo wiped it away with a smirk.

"What did I say about getting handsy, Sawamura?" Kuroo teased.

Daichi rolled his eyes and leaned over to smack Kuroo's thigh that he had been eyeing to touch all night.

"C'mon. Let's get you to bed. You look like you're going to keel over at any second," Daichi said as he stood to his feet.

Kuroo scoffed. "You're being dramatic. I don't look _that_ bad."

Daichi smiled at him as they walked down the halls to the bedrooms. He put his hand on his door and looked back to Kuroo, who stood in front of the guest bedroom door.

"If you need anything, just knock," Daichi said, to which Kuroo nodded. "Night, Kuroo."

Kuroo nodded once, his smile looking a bit strained. "Night."

Daichi turned off the hall light and went off to bed. He hoped that Kuroo would actually rest tonight.

He thought of Kuroo's face, how skittish he looked suddenly. Should he have spoken to him beforehand?

He shook his head. He would have to talk to Kuroo tomorrow about it.

* * *

Daichi's peaceful slumber was interrupted by a loud scream coming from the down the hall.

His instincts immediately kicked in—he reached for his handgun and charged out of his room and down the hallway, barging into Kuroo's room and looking around the dimly lit room.

Kuroo was sitting up in bed with the lamp on, and as soon as Daichi ran in the room with his gun drawn, Kuroo flinched back against his pillow.

"Kuroo?" Daichi asked, lowering his gun.

"A-Ah," Kuroo stuttered. He was covered in a shiny sheen of sweat, but his body was trembling fiercely. "Sawamura… Sorry. D-Did I wake you?"

Daichi put his gun down and hurried over to his side. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to Kuroo, putting a hand on his damp shoulder.

"What happened?" he asked him, looking him over.

Kuroo's free hand gripped the sheets, his hair more unruly than usual. He shook his head, looking more ashamed than he had been earlier.

"Nothing," Kuroo said, winded.

Daichi frowned and squeezed his shoulder. "Hey. Don't do that," he said. "Talk to me. Was it the dark?"

Kuroo rested his forehead in his palm and let out a long sigh. "No, I… I just had a nightmare. That's all."

"A nightmare?" Daichi echoed. He processed the words for a few quick seconds, and horror struck him. "Kuroo, have you been having nightmares since the break-in?"

Kuroo groaned and covered his eyes. "It sounds even more ridiculous when you say it out loud."

"It's not ridiculous," Daichi said. "You can't control your dreams."

"Yeah, but…" Kuroo sighed. "I'm almost thirty years old, for crying out loud. I shouldn't be acting like this. Nearly crying from a nightmare."

Daichi sucked in a breath and moved his hand to flatten it on Kuroo's back. He rubbed soothing circles in between his shoulder blades, hoping it would bring some sort of comfort to him.

"You're being too hard on yourself," Daichi said. "I'm not judging you, if that's what you're afraid of."

"Heh. I'm more embarrassed than anything else," Kuroo admitted. He paused, his smile diminishing. "And… a bit scared."

Daichi frowned. "Are you worried the robber will come back?"

Kuroo shrugged one shoulder. "I… guess?" he said. "I mean… in my dreams, it's always the same thing: I walk in on the guy robbing my place." He paused, eyes narrowing. "But instead of stabbing my arm, he stabs my chest instead. Or my throat, or… whatever. But I don't survive it."

Daichi scooted closer, his side pressing up against Kuroo's. "Is it because… you're in here alone?"

Kuroo winced and averted his eyes. After a long moment, he nodded.

Daichi pursed his lips and laid his hand flat on Kuroo's back.

"What if I slept here with you? Would that make you more comfortable?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo whipped his head up to look at him, eyes wide, and Daichi felt his body stiffen with cold panic. Shoot, was that the wrong thing to say? What was he supposed to do now?

The longer the silence grew, the more Daichi regretted opening his big, stupid mouth. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling, finding the random stain more fascinating than anything else in the room.

"Ah, if that was too much, then I can try sleeping on the floor, or… I dunno, maybe we can watch another movie?"

Daichi was fumbling now. This was such a disaster. Suga would definitely scold him for screwing this up. But even worse, Kuroo probably thought he was a pervert.

"Or… I'll just make some tea," Daichi suggested, moving to stand.

But before he could even get off of the bed, Kuroo's hand shot out to grab his bicep, making him stay on the bed. He glanced at Kuroo, seeing a slight blush darkening on the skin underneath his eyes.

"Um… I shouldn't mind you staying here," Kuroo said.

No way.

"Ah, is that so?" Daichi asked.

"Y-Yeah," Kuroo answered. "You don't need to sleep on the floor. The bed is big enough."

No freaking way.

Daichi's heart was doing kick-flips in his chest. He had to calm down or the pounding of his heart would give him away.

"Okay. Yeah, I'll just…" Daichi crawled into bed and slipped the covers up the both of them. They both laid back in the bed and adjusted, Kuroo choosing to lay on his left side, leaving his bandaged arm up. "There. You have enough room?"

"Yeah," Kuroo said, staring right at him.

Daichi nodded and leaned up to turn off the lamp. Then he settled back under the covers and turned to face Kuroo.

"Was that okay?" Daichi asked. "Should I leave the lamp on?"

"N-No, it's fine," Kuroo said, and Daichi could hear the tremor in his voice.

"What usually helped you sleep before?" Daichi asked. "Did you read? Or watch something?"

Kuroo hummed and paused for a moment. "Well… you're going to think this is a little weird, but I normally sleep with two pillows shoved over my ears."

Daichi blinked at him in the dark, but Kuroo seemed to understand it. He sighed and let out a little groan.

"Yeah I know, it's really… weird," Kuroo said.

"No, no! Everyone has a different way of sleeping," Daichi said. "I was just wondering if that's how you get your hair to be how it is every day."

" _Ugh,"_ Kuroo groaned. "I try so hard to get it to look different. But it's the only way that's comfortable for me to sleep!"

Daichi couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a snicker or two, and then he just let it all out, giving big, belly laughs.

"Oh, c'mon! It's not that funny," Kuroo murmured, and Daichi could picture him pouting.

"Sorry, sorry!" Daichi said, calming down. "It just explains a lot."

"Oh, whatever…" Kuroo grumbled.

Daichi pictured it. Kuroo's face smooshed in between two pillows, awkward sleep lines on his cheeks… Ah, he wondered how soft he was in the mornings. It almost made him giddy to think about.

"I guess since I broke my arm," Kuroo suddenly continued, "I'm not really capable of balancing the pillows around my head."

Understanding flooded through Daichi like a wave.

"Oh! So that must be it," Daichi said.

He scooted closer to Kuroo and held out his hand, feeling around Kuroo's face until he felt his ear. He cupped his hand over Kuroo's ear and pressed down gently. He could feel the man shaking under his palm, and he wondered if he was still reeling from his unsavory nightmare.

"Is this better?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo let out a small breath, and Daichi imagined a look of relief on Kuroo's face.

"Yeah, it… it actually feels pretty nice," Kuroo said. The shaking slowed down and then disappeared completely as Kuroo relaxed under Daichi's touch. It filled Daichi's chest with warmth. "Thank you, Sawamura."

Daichi smiled. "You're welcome, Kuroo," he said. "Good night."

Kuroo let out a sleepy breath. "Good night, Sawamura."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Come find me on [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucke1)  
> I like hearing from you all :)


	3. Day 5 & 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 Hot|Cold
> 
> Day 6 Sugar|Spice

"You want to try sleeping at your apartment tonight?"

It was a simple question, but Daichi didn't realize how much it would affect Kuroo.

His reaction was tense, his shoulders rising up to his ears and his eyes going a little vacant as he stopped reading through his research to ponder Daichi's question.

Daichi winced and he turned back towards his stove to finish cooking breakfast for the day.

It had been a little over a week of Kuroo staying over at Daichi's place, both of them sleeping in the same bed. Kuroo's nightmares were violent and rough the first few nights, but as time went on, Kuroo became more and more relaxed. The past two nights resulted in Kuroo sleeping the entire night through without any problems.

But now, all of that progress seemed to be thrown out the window as Kuroo's left hand gripped his pen. His right arm was still in a sling, making things still difficult to move around. Daichi remembered the doctor telling him that he could take it off after a week, but Kuroo still clung to that thing like a lifeline. It was as if it were his security blanket.

"O-Oh, uh… well, I guess I should move back there eventually, right? Ha," Kuroo breathed out.

Daichi hadn't heard him stutter so much in all the time he had known him. He glanced over his shoulder as the eggs cooked on the stove.

"Kuroo, it's really no big deal if you want to stay here," Daichi offered. And it really wasn't a big deal. Daichi was enjoying the company, after all. It made his large apartment seem less lonely.

But Kuroo shook his head to decline. "No, you're right." His voice took on a more somber tone. "I need to get back into the swing of things on my own. And I can't do that when I'm here buggin' you all week."

"You're not bugging me," Daichi said. He turned back to the eggs and muttered under his breath, "I've really enjoyed it, actually."

"What was that?" Kuroo asked.

Daichi felt his cheeks flush and he shook his head as his shoulders rose to hide his red ears.

"N-Nothing!" Daichi said.

Kuroo hesitated, and Daichi wondered if he was going to ask again. But instead, Kuroo sighed and Daichi could hear him closing the book that was in front of him.

"You're right, though. I need to try out my place. Tonight," Kuroo said.

Daichi threw him a smile over his shoulder. "I'll come with, so don't worry."

Kuroo smiled back at him lightly, his left hand tapping on his book. He sighed and stood to his feet, tucking his book under his arm.

"All right. I guess I'll feel safer as long as my knight in shining armor is with me," Kuroo said.

And then, he winked.

The action made Daichi feel warm all over, a tingling sensation dropping down his stomach.

Oof, he really shouldn't have been so sensitive to that, should he? Kuroo was just joking—being his usual self.

So why was this affecting him so much?

"I'll pack up my things after class," Kuroo said, pulling Daichi out of his thoughts. "Then we can… hang out at my place for the night. I'll grab some movies."

Daichi arched a brow. "Are they movies, or documentaries? There _is_ a difference you know."

Kuroo laughed in his ugly way and headed back to the spare bedroom without answering.

Daichi sighed. "It's another one of his stupid documentaries, isn't it?"

* * *

There was a slight chill in the air that night, Daichi noticed, as he walked back to his apartment after his shift. Luckily, his adrenaline was still high from his shift.

A novice purse-snatcher thought he could escape through a neighborhood, but Daichi could climb fences much faster than he could, and he quickly pulled him down from the top of the fence line in no trouble at all.

The only issue was that the perp knew some kind of self-defense, and he ended up kicking Daichi hard in the stomach—hard enough to knock the wind right out of him. He still managed to take the man down, though, even when he was gasping for breath.

So, all in all, the cool air was refreshing to his warmed skin. And once again, the stars were beautifully lit in the sky, covering it where the moonlight didn't touch them.

When he reached his apartment, Kuroo was already at the door, changed with a bag over his shoulder. He was looking down at his phone, seeming to wait for someone. His casted arm was still hanging in a sling tightly against his chest.

"Ah, you're here," Kuroo said. He had a strange look on his face that Daichi couldn't quite place. "You're a little late. Everything okay?"

Daichi rolled his shoulder, working out the annoying kink that had been stuck there since he wrestled the guy to the ground earlier.

"Yeah. Had a ton of paperwork after an arrest tonight," Daichi explained. "Let me get changed and we can go. Can I borrow your shower when we get there?"

Kuroo's face reddened ever so slightly. "Oh, yeah. Of course."

Daichi nodded once and then hurried to change his clothes and grab the overnight bag that he had packed that morning. Then, with a yawn, he led Kuroo out of his apartment and to his squad car, happily driving the both of them back to Kuroo's place.

Kuroo was fidgety upon their arrival to his apartment, but Daichi tried not to point it out too much. He feared that pressing on it now would make Kuroo flee too early.

They walked inside, Daichi noticing that most of the damage done to the place during the break-in had been rectified. All except for the coffee table, which was now just a missing gap in between the sofa and the TV.

"Okay, so I'll order some takeout. Pizza sound good to you?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo nodded quietly and grabbed both his and Daichi's bags to drop them off in the only bedroom in the apartment. Daichi sighed, hoping he wasn't being too pushy. He always had been, especially when it came to his crushes. It was one of the reasons his last relationship ended.

He shook it off and quietly ordered the takeout, allowing Kuroo some privacy to get oriented. When he came back out, he was in comfier clothes.

"Okay, bathroom's all yours if you want to shower," Kuroo said. "Towels are already in there."

"Ah, okay," Daichi said, heading down the hall. "The food should be here soon."

"'Kay!"

Daichi quickly got the shower going and then yanked his shirt off of his head with a hiss, his entire torso protesting with aches and pains. When he turned towards the mirror, he jolted. There was a nasty bruise stretching up from his hip to his ribs, and some portions of it crawling towards his abs.

"Damn it, that kick did a number on me," Daichi said, pressing some light fingers to the bruise.

Oh well. He had other things to deal with at the moment, and it certainly wasn't this bruise.

He quickly showered and dressed into comfy clothes, and then headed back out to the living room where Kuroo had a pizza box on his lap and the TV screen flashing with opening credits. He smiled up at Daichi and gestured to the box.

"Food's here," he said. "And I've got a real movie, you uncultured swine."

Daichi huffed out a laugh and plopped down next to Kuroo grabbing a slice of pizza.

"Whatever, nerd. At least it's something more interesting than what you made me watch the other night," Daichi said.

"What?! That movie was _fascinating!"_ Kuroo said, munching on his own slice.

"Molecules aren't that interesting."

"Maybe to _you."_

Daichi chuckled again and grabbed another piece, turning his eyes towards the action on the screen.

They watched and munched on the pizza until it was gone. When their bellies were full, they would talk here and there, Kuroo making comments on the acting or movie effects. Daichi would roll his eyes tell him to just shut up and watch.

It was oddly domestic, and Daichi had the fleeting idea of doing this every night.

He pushed those thoughts away quickly though, choosing to try to focus on the movie and not the heat of the man sitting next to him.

"So, is this better than what we watched the other night?" Kuroo asked, slouching back into the cushions a little.

Daichi huffed. "Of course! This actually has some action in it!"

"Oh, come on! Isn't your daily life full of action enough?" Kuroo asked. "Or is giving parking tickets just not enough for you?"

"Hey!" Daichi laughed. "At least I'm not playing with test tubes all day."

"Oi, don't diss chemistry, man," Kuroo said. "You may have brute strength, but my brains could take over the world one day."

"Yeah, and all that messy hair!" Daichi said.

"Hey!"

Kuroo leaned forward and jabbed Daichi in the side to get him to stop laughing, but his fingers jabbed right into the bruise that had just begun to simmer down.

Pain bloomed along Daichi's side, and he hunched forward and grunted, a hand going to his side to stop the pain.

Kuroo immediately froze, eyes going wide as he stared at Daichi in shock.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kuroo asked, his voice thin.

Daichi rubbed his side and smiled at him, lifting up his other hand to wave him off.

"Ah, just sore from work today. It's nothing big," Daichi said.

"Nothing _big?"_ Kuroo asked, incredulous. He paused the movie and then focused back on Daichi, scooting close. "You acted like I seriously hurt you!"

"It's just a bruise, Kuroo," Daichi said. He leaned back to look at the TV. "Just play the movie. I'm fine."

"Show me."

Daichi's thoughts screeched to a halt. He whipped his head back to look at Kuroo to see if he was joking, but the man's face was set as a stone.

"What?" Daichi said intelligently.

"Show me your bruise," Kuroo said.

"Kuroo, I'm fine," Daichi said. "It's just a bruise."

"If it's fine, then you should be able to show me with no problem." Kuroo shrugged his good shoulder. "And if it's fine, I'll drop it."

Daichi frowned, feeling cornered suddenly. He sighed and reached for the hem of his shirt, trying to avoid Kuroo's gaze as he lifted it up to his armpit and exposed his battered side. He heard a soft gasp, and then he felt warm fingers delicately graze his side.

Daichi jumped at the contact, glancing down to see Kuroo leaned in closely to see the bruise, his fingers lightly tracing it down to his hip. Then, he looked up at Daichi with furrowed brows.

"What the _hell,_ Daichi?" Kuroo asked, frowning hard. "This isn't just a bruise! What if you have some kind of… internal bleeding or something!"

Daichi's jaw dropped, unable to speak for a moment.

Daichi. Kuroo had called him _Daichi_.

And it sounded so good. Oh, he wanted to hear it again. And again.

Everything felt so tingly and—

"Oh, shit. You're not actually bleeding internally, are you?!" Kuroo asked. He pulled back and fished his phone from his pocket, and Daichi could see that he was starting to dial emergency services.

"Ah, Kuroo! It's okay!" Daichi said, leaning forward to touch Kuroo's wrist. "Really. It was just from a kick and a bad fall. Honestly, I'm okay."

Kuroo paused in his dialing to look Daichi in the eyes. "You're _sure?"_

"Yes. Really, this isn't so bad," Daichi said. "Just a little sore."

Kuroo paused for a moment, letting his phone rest on his lap as he pondered the idea. Then, he stood to his feet and abandoned his phone in favor of grabbing Daichi's wrist.

"C'mon," he said, pulling Daichi to his feet.

"Huh? Where are we going?" Daichi asked.

Kuroo led him to the kitchen without an answer and patted the counter. "Hop up and take off your shirt."

Daichi thought his face was going to explode.

"T-Take off my _what_ now?" Daichi clarified.

Kuroo was rummaging through the freezer as he answered, "Your shirt. We need to ice it for the pain."

Daichi hesitated. "Um… it really isn't—"

"Nope! No arguing with me," Kuroo said, peeking around the door of the freezer. "Just do it, okay?"

His eyes were borderline pleading, and Daichi found that he couldn't resist that look on Kuroo's face. Not when he looked like a begging puppy waiting for some table scraps.

So, with a sigh, Daichi pulled himself up onto the counter and painstakingly pulled his shirt over his head. The bruise was affecting more of his upper body movement than he realized. It must've been from sitting on the couch for too long.

"Oh, damn this thing!"

Daichi glanced up to see Kuroo pulling the sling off of his neck and throwing it aside, opting to use both of his hands to get the ice ready. He sighed in relief immediately afterward. A moment later, the freezer door shut, and Kuroo walked up to Daichi with a homemade icepack.

"This'll be cold," Kuroo warned, and he pressed the pack directly over the darkest part of the purple bruise.

Daichi winced and hissed, both at the pain and the cold, and he looked down in his lap to distract his mind from the thousands of different thoughts that were currently attacking his mind. How could he feel so hot and cold at the same time?!

"Sorry. Did I press too hard?" Kuroo asked.

Daichi looked over to him with wide eyes. "Ah, no, no," Daichi assured. Was he blushing? His face felt on fire. "I just wasn't ready for the cold."

"Ah, yeah. That makes sense," Kuroo said. He moved the pack slightly lower. "Geez, this guy really did a number on you."

Daichi shrugged. "It's not the worst I've ever had."

Kuroo shot him a look of surprise. "What?"

Oh boy. He really shouldn't have opened his mouth. But, he really could use the distraction before his body decided to act on its own.

"Ah, yeah. I've been shot before," Daichi said.

"What?!" Kuroo asked.

"Mhmm," Daichi said. He shifted slightly so Kuroo could look at the bullet scar in Daichi's opposite shoulder. "I was out for a little while, but I recovered quickly."

"Shit," Kuroo said, looking at the old scar. "Did it hurt?"

"Oh, yeah," Daichi said with a low laugh. "Worst pain I'd ever been in my whole life." He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "I thought I'd get fired."

"Fired?" Kuroo exclaimed, moving the ice pack a little closer to Daichi's ribs. "For what? For getting shot?"

"For being foolish," Daichi said. "I put people's lives in danger that day. So I thought my ass was done." He hissed when Kuroo pressed on the tender part of the bruise. "But, luckily, my Captain just thanked me for helping out that day. So I still have a job."

Kuroo eyed the bullet scar and then the bruise on Daichi's side. Daichi could see his eyes glance over his chest, probably looking at the other small scars here and here. He felt his face flush at the attention.

"Seems like a pretty dangerous job," Kuroo said.

"It is," Daichi agreed. "But I'm pretty tough, you know?"

Kuroo let out a low laugh, eyes going back to the bruise. "Yeah, you're right about that."

He removed the icepack from his ribs and looked at the damage, his face grimacing.

"It still looks pretty nasty," Kuroo said.

Daichi waved his hand. "It's fine. It looks much worse than it feels."

"And you're sure we don't need to go to the hospital?" Kuroo asked as Daichi hopped down from the counter.

"Geez, would you chill?" Daichi said with a laugh. He smirked, finding an opening. "I'm perfectly fine, _Tetsu."_

Kuroo jolted, his face flushing and ears burning red.

"W-What?" Kuroo stammered.

"What? It's only fair," Daichi said. "You called me by my first name earlier."

Kuroo blinked at him and then looked away, eyes gazing at the icepack as he fidgeted in place.

"I… did?" he asked.

"Yep," Daichi said, keeping his smirk on his face. "I guess you were pretty worried about me, huh? You even took your sling off, which it's about time!"

Kuroo glanced down at his cast on his arm and blinked in shock. It was as if he had completely forgotten everything that happened in the past few minutes.

"Uh, I… I guess I really was," Kuroo said. His cheeks turned darker. "You… don't mind me calling you Daichi?"

Daichi's stomach fluttered. That sounded way too good on Kuroo's tongue.

He was so screwed.

"It's less syllables. Easier to say," Daichi said, trying to sound nonchalant. "So why not?"

Kuroo nodded. "All right. But only if you call me Tetsu."

Daichi smiled, his cheeks nearly hurting from how hard his lips stretched across his face.

"I think I can do that."

* * *

Kuroo acclimated to his apartment a little slowly at first, but after a week of Daichi being there, he seemed to do better.

Daichi stopped sleeping over after that first week, and he realized just how cold it was to sleep alone. He vaguely wondered if Kuroo felt the same way, but he wouldn't dare to ask him.

Fortunately, Daichi received texts on the daily, and dinner meet-ups were more often than not. If his coworkers noticed the goofy grins on his face whenever he would receive a text, then they didn't say anything. He would get the occasional knowing smile or suggestive eyebrows, but he would pointedly ignore them in favor of responding to Kuroo, or _Tetsu_ , as his contact read.

After another week had passed, Daichi received a text from Kuroo right near the end of his shift.

_From: Tetsu_

_I'm making dinner tonight. Come over?_

Daichi smiled. As if he had any other plans for the evening.

_To: Tetsu_

_I'll be there._

As soon as the clock struck five, Daichi rushed home to change and freshen up as best as he possibly could without actually taking a shower, and then made his way over to Kuroo's apartment.

When he arrived, he knocked on Kuroo's door, feeling a bit antsy and excited to be hanging out with Kuroo _and_ getting a home-cooked meal from him. He wondered if Kuroo was any good at cooking. He'd always brag how he's learned so many new recipes, but he didn't know what all that would entail.

Oh, shoot. Should he have brought something? Damn it, Daichi, he chastised himself. He really should've brought wine. _That_ would've been perfect. Romantic, even.

The door opened before Daichi could spiral into panic, and a freshly-showered Kuroo waited on the other side, a bright smile on his face. He was wearing a simple v-neck shirt and some sweatpants. It wasn't fancy at all, and Daichi loved it.

"Well, it's about time," Kuroo teased, moving out of the way. "Get in here, already."

"Ah, thanks," Daichi said. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I was stuck at work for longer than I expected."

Kuroo's smile slipped from his face as his eyes scanned up and down Daichi's body. Daichi could practically feel the burn from his gaze, and he tried not to blush at the attention.

"You okay? It wasn't another injury, was it?" Kuroo asked, his voice serious.

Daichi shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. Just a crazy amount of paperwork."

Kuroo's shoulders sagged a little and he nodded, a smile coming back to his face.

"That's a relief," Kuroo said with a soft sigh. "Well, come on in! Dinner's almost done."

Kuroo led Daichi into his kitchen, and the smell in the air was heavenly. Kuroo opened up the oven and pulled out the masterpiece. It was some kind of meat, surrounded by veggies and potatoes, and Daichi's mouth was watering.

"Ah, it's perfect! Just a few more minutes," Kuroo said as he pushed it back in the oven. He grabbed a spoon and dipped it in the sauce, holding it in front of Daichi's mouth. "Here, try it."

Daichi knew his face must've been as red as a tomato, but he leaned forward nonetheless and sipped at the sauce. The spice hit his tongue immediately, and he hissed a bit at the heat. But the taste was impeccable.

"Whoa," Daichi said, his tongue still burning from the spices.

"You okay?" Kuroo asked, brows lowering.

"Ah, it's got a kick to it," Daichi said.

"Oh, shit," Kuroo cursed, looking nervous. "I added some red pepper flakes, but I guess I added too much."

"No, no! It's good!" Daichi said.

Kuroo quirked a brow and narrowed his eyes at him. "You're not just saying that?"

"No, not at all," Daichi said. "I just wasn't expecting it. The taste is amazing, though."

Kuroo's shoulders relaxed and he put on a handsome smile. "Ah, that's good. I was a little worried." He put the spoon in the sink and filled up a glass of water for Daichi. "So do you like spicy food then?"

"I like it okay. Suga's been training me for years with it," he answered.

Kuroo leaned on the counter and gave him a smirk. "I guess I'll just have to make something sweet for you next time."

_Nothing would be as sweet as your tongue._

Daichi nearly jumped as the thought passed in his brain, his cheeks flushing a deep red. He lowered his eyes to the counter to avoid looking at Kuroo's charming smile.

"Ha, well... I'd like to try that sometime," Daichi said.

Kuroo smiled, showing pearly white teeth as he snickered. He turned back around to check on the meat, and one minute later, the oven beeped. He grabbed the pan from the oven and placed it on the counter. He pointed to the nearby rice cooker.

"I've got rice ready, too. Here, have a plate," Kuroo said.

Daichi took the plate from him and smirked at him. "You sure are eager to feed me. It's not poisoned, is it?"

Kuroo put a hand to his chest. "Oh! You wound me, Daichi!" he teased. "Nah, I was just wanting to make something nice for you. Since you've been playing nurse for me for the past few weeks."

Daichi glanced down at the cast on Kuroo's arm. He seemed to have more motion in his arm, but it was most likely still broken. He still needed some time to heal.

"You didn't need to do all this, you know," Daichi said. "It must've been really hard to do with your cast on, too."

Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, cutting the vegetables _was_ quite a challenge. But nevermind that! C'mon, let's go watch that detective show."

Daichi smiled at his enthusiasm. The show was nothing like how detectives operate in real life, but it was fun to watch Kuroo pick it apart—especially when it came to the forensics side of things.

They watched and ate in relative silence, Kuroo picking out the incorrect facts here and there. Daichi finished everything on his plate and even debated going back for more. It was a little on the hot side, which Suga would've scoffed at, but it was still good nonetheless. It gave it just the right amount of bite that Daichi enjoyed.

"Damn, Tetsu. That was amazing," Daichi said, patting his firm gut.

Kuroo smirked widely. "Why, thank you, Daichi! I'm glad that you could partake in my experiment!"

"Experiment?" Daichi asked.

"Yeah, it's a new recipe. Never tried it before," Kuroo said.

"Oh, so I was your guinea pig?" Daichi asked. "What if you gave me food poisoning?"

"What? You don't trust my cooking skills?" Kuroo asked. "I'm hurt!"

Daichi pushed against his shoulder. "Oh, shut it! I liked what you made, and you know it!"

"Do I?" Kuroo asked, pushing back and moving closer to Daichi. "Well, it's really not convincing. I think you hated it."

Kuroo pouted, and Daichi wanted to kiss it right off of his face. He wondered what the look on Kuroo's face would be. Shocked, definitely. And that smug airiness of his would evaporate in a split second.

He was so tempted. _So, so tempted…_

"See?" Kuroo asked, getting so close that Daichi could feel his rooster-like hair tickle his forehead. He was so close… So warm. His voice was so low that it left him tingling. "I definitely think you're lying."

That was all it took.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kuroo's, his hands gently holding him by his waist.

It was warm and chapped and so, so sweet, and everything Daichi had imagined. It took the heat from the meal right off of his tongue, replacing it with a sugary taste that made him tremble. He could get lost like this, lost in Kuroo's embrace, lost in his kiss, his touch.

He wanted this forever.

Daichi slowly opened his eyes, realizing just now that he had closed them, and stared at Kuroo's face.

Wait a minute. He was… He was kissing him—

He pulled back and sucked in a sharp breath, leaving Kuroo to stare at him blankly. His lips were wet and red from kissing, but the look of shock on his face was evident.

What the hell was Daichi doing?!

"Um, I, uh… I just—" Daichi stammered. He gently pushed Kuroo away and stood onto his trembling legs. "Sorry, I… I don't know what came over me."

"Daichi," Kuroo called, reaching out to him with a crease in between his brow. "Wait."

"Sorry, I… I have to go," Daichi rasped out all at once.

And in a flash, he was out the door and rushing to his car, turning it on and driving back to his place. He was trembling, all of him, his entire body seizing with adrenaline and fear.

What the hell had he just done?

The drive back to his place was a blur. It was as if he was drunk, the fuzzy road and heat pressuring in his chest.

He made it to his front door, the keys barely able to fit into the lock from all of his shaking. Once inside, he slammed the door shut and sucked in a deep breath. What the hell was going on? Why couldn't he _breathe?_

He turned around and rested his back against the door, sliding to the floor in one big slump. He reached into his pocket and dug out his phone, declining the call from Kuroo so he could open up his contacts. He quickly dialed Suga and put the phone up to his ear.

"What, is the date over already? Daichi, I'm disappointed—"

"S-Suga," Daichi rasped.

Suga's teasing tone wilted immediately. "Daichi? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I screwed up," Daichi said, and oh, crap, was he crying?

Thick tears rolled down his cheeks as the panic from the situation finally hit him like a freight train.

Oh, shit. What did he just _do?_

"Daichi, calm down, okay? Are you having a panic attack? Shit," Suga cursed. "Just stay on the phone with me and breathe. I'm coming over."

"N-No, I… I screwed up, Suga," Daichi said, hiccupping in a breath.

"What did you screw up?"

Daichi shut his eyes tight and thought of that beautiful smile. Messy hair and all. And now… it was all going to be different.

He sucked in a breath, and then answered with a trembling voice.

"Everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Come find me on [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucke1)  
> I like hearing from you all :)


	4. Day 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7
> 
> Naughty|Nice

He was moping.

Daichi knew that's what it was, but he was stubborn. He didn't want to admit it out loud.

Especially to Suga.

Ugh, he never should've called Suga that night. He wouldn't have to hear him telling him how wrong he was to think that Kuroo didn't have any feelings towards him.

But Daichi couldn't get that shocked look out of his head. Kuroo had to hate him, right?

"If Kuroo hated you, then why has he been calling you nonstop since last week?" Suga asked over dinner.

Daichi picked at his food. "He's probably calling to tell me what a horrible friend I am. And maybe yell at me some."

"Ugh, you've _got_ to be kidding me!" Suga said with a sigh. "You're so pathetic, Sawamura Daichi. You can't even see what's right in front of you!"

"Suga, you weren't _there,"_ Daichi said.

"I didn't need to be. I know exactly what Kuroo was thinking," Suga said. "Geez, it's no wonder you never get any dates."

"W-What?" Daichi squeaked.

"Yeah! Yui told me how you had no idea how to date," Suga said. He sighed and leaned on his hand. "You are so clueless. That girl was madly in love with you for three years! And you didn't have any idea!"

"Oi, are you trying to get thrown out?" Daichi said with a pout.

Suga shrugged. "I'm just saying! Instead of running away from this, don't you think you should _talk_ to Kuroo?"

Daichi winced. "I… I don't want him to hate me, Suga."

Suga paused for a moment, his face softening. "I'm sure he doesn't hate you, Daichi."

"But what if he does? What if he never wants to speak to me again?" Daichi said. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. "What if the only reason he's calling me is to tell me he doesn't feel the same way? I don't think I could handle hearing that, Suga."

He heard Suga shift in front of him, and then he felt arms wrap around his shoulders.

"Don't think like that, Daichi," Suga said softly. "He isn't going to reject you."

"Of course he is. I made such a huge mistake, Suga."

"Daichi…"

"He probably wants to tell me to forget it ever happened," Daichi said, spiraling into panic. "Oh, shit. We probably won't even be _friends_ after this. I'm such a screw-up!"

"Stop it," Suga said softly, squeezing his shoulders tight. "You are _not_ a screw-up."

"Ugh, you didn't even see his face after I kissed him, Suga," Daichi said. "He didn't even say a word. He was probably so… disgusted with me."

Suga paused again to sigh, one of his hands falling to Daichi's back.

"You haven't noticed how he looks at you, do you?" Suga asked.

Daichi hesitated and then slowly dropped his hands from his face, peering up at his best friend with furrowed brows.

"What are you talking about?" Daichi asked.

Suga rolled his eyes. "Dense Daichi strikes again."

"That's it. Get out."

"Fine, fine! Chill out!" Suga said, patting Daichi's back. "Every time I hang out with you two, he barely pays any attention to a word I say. You know why that is?"

Daichi tilted his head at him in confusion, trying to recall all of the times that they've hung out together. They all went out to a bar recently to hang out, and then there was that time when they decided to see a movie with Asahi. They've been hanging out a lot, but he couldn't really see what Suga was talking about.

"I don't… know," Daichi admitted.

"Well, that's obvious," Suga said. "He didn't hear what I had to say all those times because he was too busy giving you all of his attention."

Daichi quirked a brow at him, tilting his head slightly. Was he really? He never noticed Kuroo doing anything like that before.

But that was probably because Daichi was too distracted by Kuroo to notice anything.

"I don't know, Suga," Daichi said, feeling like dirt.

"Well, _I do,"_ Suga said, folding his arms across his chest. "That guy is head over heels for you. But you're too dumb to see it."

"Oh, come on! That hurts," Daichi said with a wince.

Suga shrugged. "Sorry, Daichi. But you're wallowing, and it's getting annoying," he said. "You need to snap out of this before you lose him forever."

Daichi rubbed the back of his neck as he hung his head.

He wasn't quite sure if his mind could handle doing anything at the moment. The only thing he could think of was how much he had messed things up.

"But what if that's what he wants?" Daichi asked. "What if Kuroo wants things to end?"

Suga sighed and reached around Daichi to rub his back. "That's something you need to find out for yourself."

* * *

Daichi knew he needed to talk things out with Kuroo, but he could never find it in himself to text or call him. He had several missed calls from the man already, and dozens of unread text messages that Daichi was too scared to open.

It went on like this for another whole week, and as each passing day came and went, Suga's words bounced around Daichi's mind constantly.

Daichi groaned as he slumped at his desk at work, feeling the ache in all of his bones. He'd been pulling double shifts to try to get Kuroo out of his mind but it really wasn't working, and his boss was starting to eye him with scrutiny. He would be forced to take a break soon—Daichi could feel it.

And if he were to take even one break, his mind would wander, and think of those broad shoulders, that silly hair, the handsome smirk that Daichi just wanted to kiss… and that look of pure horror when Daichi actually tried to.

"Ugh, this is the worst," Daichi said.

"Man, I've never seen you like this, Sergeant," Koji mentioned. "You doing okay?"

Daichi wasn't in the mood. "Yes, Koji. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look like you haven't slept in days," Koji said.

Daichi shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Well… if you're sure," Koji said. "I've got to meet up with a friend for a bit. You need me to pick up anything for your shift later? Coffee maybe?"

"Thanks, but I'll be okay," Daichi said.

Koji smiled gently at him. "Don't work too hard. Captain's been eyeing you, you know."

"I'm completely aware," Daichi said glumly.

Koji chuckled nervously before waving him off and leaving the precinct.

Daichi sighed and sat back up, rubbing his face. "Okay. No more moping for now. I've got a job to do."

So Daichi did just that. He filled out paperwork until his fingers were sore and then headed out to do a patrol. And of course, the night where he needed the most distractions was the night where there were no calls.

He pulled his squad car over and sat back against his seat, feeling utterly defeated. The past two weeks have been a hellish nightmare.

Nightmares…

Crap, Daichi thought. He really hoped Kuroo was doing okay with those. What if he'd been having nightmares since that night?

What if Daichi had caused even more nightmares to prey upon Kuroo's mind?

Daichi bonked his head against the door window. "I'm such a shitty friend."

The admission was soft and dissipated quickly in the empty car. He sighed and tilted his head, mussing up his hair a little against the window.

The sun was halfway down on the horizon, making the skies bloom in orange and purple hues. And up high in the dark blue were speckles of stars that were starting to peek out.

It was beautiful.

It reminded Daichi of Kuroo.

He leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel, heaving a long sigh.

This was ridiculous. He just needed to end things, right? Just call him up and finally set things straight. Suga was right—living in this in between of knowing or not knowing was brutal. He just needed the truth.

And if Kuroo didn't feel the same way, then… well…

At least he could have some closure.

Daichi sighed and leaned back up, pulling his phone from his pocket. He searched for Kuroo's contact and hovered over the call button, hesitating as he stared down at it. _Tetsu_ it read. Daichi wondered if he would have to change that soon.

He took in a deep breath. He lowered his thumb to dial the number—

"Sergeant, this is Officer Koji! Are you there, over?"

Daichi nearly jumped out of his skin when his radio crackled to life. He took in a shallow breath and reached up to his shoulder to press the button to respond.

"Yes, Koji. What's up?" Daichi asked.

"A-Ah, y-you should come back to your friend's place right away! The one that had the break-in a few weeks ago?"

Daichi's heart flipped. "Why? What's going on?"

"Th-The guy came back! Your friend was robbed again, and he's s-seriously hurt!"

Daichi heart cracked. "Shit. Shit, shit, _shit!"_

He cranked his car back up and turned on his lights and sirens, speeding down the road and weaving in between slower vehicles.

"What happened, Koji? Talk to me. Is Tets—Kuroo all right?" Daichi asked.

"I… I don't know," Koji said.

He sounded a little funny, but Daichi didn't want to question it at the moment. He just wanted to get to Kuroo as quickly as possible.

Daichi sped around the corner that led to Kuroo's street.

"Okay, I'm pulling in now," Daichi said, pulling to a stop in front of the apartment complex.

As he got out, he realized he was the only squad car there. What the hell? Where were the emergency vehicles? Where was the ambulance, damn it?!

Daichi shook his head. He would worry about that later. For right now, he had to focus on Kuroo's wellbeing.

He raced into the complex and flew up the stairs to get to his apartment as quickly as possible. He drew his gun as he approached the right room, taking a breath as he stopped outside of the door. Then, in one swift motion, he kicked the door in, aiming his gun inside.

"Freeze!" Daichi yelled when he spotted movement.

But the only one to freeze in the end was Daichi.

Because instead of seeing a crime scene playing out in front of him, the first thing he saw was a large bouquet of flowers. Red roses.

Then, he noticed the man holding the flowers.

Kuroo was in a dark red button-up shirt and slacks, and damn it, he looked so fine.

"W-What…" Daichi whispered, lowering the gun as he took in everything.

Kuroo cleared his throat. "Ah, you made it." His voice was shaky, and the flowers seemed to tremble a bit in his grasp. Kuroo was _nervous._ "S-Sorry to get you down here like this."

Daichi blinked rapidly a few times, his brain trying to catch up.

And then it hit him.

Kuroo had set this whole thing up.

"You… You told Koji to come up with a fake police report?" Daichi asked, holstering his gun.

The strained smile completely fell from Kuroo's face as he looked down at the flowers.

"Um… well, yes, but…" He cleared his throat again, unable to look Daichi in the eyes. "You wouldn't return my calls or texts, so… I called Sugawara, and he gave me the idea."

Daichi huffed out a breath, shaking his head. Of course, Suga was involved in this, too.

"Do you know how dangerous this could've been?" Daichi asked, taking a step forward.

Kuroo slumped. "I know. I thought the plan was a little too much, but… I didn't know what else to do."

Daichi felt his cheeks redden as he looked past the man towards the kitchen and dining room. There was dinner on the table, steaming and ready to go. Lit candles were placed in the center of the table, giving the room just the right amount of romantic ambiance that made Daichi melt inside.

All of the doubts that had plagued his mind for the past few weeks dissolved in an instant. And now, all he felt was bold.

He swallowed and stepped even closer into Kuroo's space, his heart pounding away in his chest.

"That wasn't very nice of you, _Tetsurou,"_ Daichi said lowly.

Kuroo shivered, and finally lifted his head to meet Daichi's eyes. His cheeks flushed as he noticed the look on Daichi's face, and then that signature smirk tugged on his lips.

"Ah, well… I'm usually known for being a nice guy, but…" Kuroo said. "I guess sometimes being a bad guy has its perks."

Daichi smiled, his heart feeling full. He stepped into Kuroo's space and leaned his forehead against his, feeling Kuroo's messy hair tickling his skin. He looked into those catlike eyes and sighed, feeling warm.

"You really did all of this for me?" Daichi asked him.

Kuroo swallowed, his smile turning shy. "Well… I didn't know how else to get your attention." He frowned a little. "Sorry… It was probably too much, wasn't it?"

Daichi smiled. "Well, it was a surprise," he said. "But since it's you, I guess I can let it slide just this once."

Kuroo gasped quietly at his words, and he suddenly started to fidget, the bouquet in his grasp shaking slightly.

"Daichi, I… These last few weeks with you have been really amazing, and I've really liked getting to know you," Kuroo said. He gestured towards the flowers, lifting them up so Daichi could see them. "Um… So, I was wondering, um… Would you go out with me?"

Daichi huffed and took the flowers from Kuroo, smirking up at Kuroo.

"What, no confession?" he asked, teasing Kuroo.

Kuroo's face flushed a deep red. "Ah, w-wait a minute! I mean, of c-course I like—"

Before Kuroo could finish his sentence, Daichi cupped his cheek and leaned up to kiss him. Kuroo hummed into the kiss, his hand reaching up to squeeze Daichi's shoulder to encourage him to continue. His hand slid up Daichi's neck to hold the back of his head as he tilted him upward to deepen the kiss.

Daichi sighed as they parted, both starry-eyed and wet-lipped as they took in each other's breaths.

"Wow," Daichi said. "You're a good kisser."

Kuroo smiled, his ego obviously enjoying the praise. "I'll let you keep practicing on me so you can get better, too."

Daichi laughed and kissed Kuroo on the cheek. "Well, I would hope so since you're my boyfriend."

Kuroo gasped softly. "Boyfriend…"

Daichi smiled at him and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I like you, Tetsurou. I like you a lot," he said. "So, yes. I want to go out with you."

Kuroo's eyes fluttered shut as Daichi kissed along his jaw, and then he sighed as Daichi rested his forehead on his shoulder.

Daichi let out a huge sigh in relief and sagged against his new boyfriend.

"Shit. I'm so happy," Daichi said. "I was so worried that I had messed everything up."

"What? _That's_ why you ignored my calls?" Kuroo asked, reaching up to rub the back of Daichi's neck. "Geez, Daichi. I thought you regretted what you did and panicked. I was afraid that I…" His voice cracked a little, making Daichi's heart leap. "I was scared that I disgusted you."

Daichi leaned up and grabbed Kuroo's shoulder. "Never! You could never disgust me!"

Kuroo just smiled gently. "I know. Suga had to convince me that you really did like me and that I shouldn't give up on you."

Daichi groaned. "Ugh, Suga's never going to let this go!"

"Nope! He even said that we owe him big time," Kuroo said.

"Fine, whatever," Daichi said. "I'm just… so happy that you like me back."

Kuroo smiled. "I do like you. A lot." He kissed Daichi's forehead, and the action made his legs feel like jelly. "C'mon. I cooked dinner for us. Not as spicy this time," he said with a wink.

Damn, that wink was sexy.

"Do I get something sweet then later?" Daichi asked, his unfiltered mouth spewing what his love-infused brain was already thinking.

Kuroo sputtered and lowered his head, grabbing Daichi's hand and leading him to the table.

"W-Well, I mean… if you'd like, y-you can… stay over," Kuroo said, his face turning redder by the second.

Daichi smiled at him, his lips wobbly as nervousness and excitement grew in his chest like a blossoming flower.

"Okay. Uh, I don't have any clothes with me, though…" Daichi said. "I just have my uniform."

Kuroo's ears were red hot. "Ah, that's okay." He turned his head a bit and smirked playfully. "I like a man in uniform."

Daichi was so doomed.

* * *

"So, you called Kenma about me?"

"Yeah… He told me that we were both idiots."

"Oh. I was expecting him to hate me."

"Pfft. Kenma wouldn't hate you for that."

Daichi and Kuroo were snuggled up together in Kuroo's bed, both only wearing their underwear. Daichi's head rested on Kuroo's bare chest, his hand gently stroking his side.

"Ah, so he and Suga both think we're dumb," Daichi said.

"Pretty much," Kuroo said.

Daichi sighed, burying his forehead on Kuroo's chest. "I should've talked to you. I never should've run out that night."

Kuroo rubbed Daichi's back. "No, don't beat yourself up over it." He kissed the top of Daichi's head. "I guess I should've confessed to you sooner. Then none of that heartache would've happened."

"Oh, like when?" Daichi asked. "Our feelings developed pretty quickly, didn't they? It's not like you would've realized it in the short time that we've reconnected."

Kuroo chuckled awkwardly and then scratched his cheek. "I actually… started liking you back in high school."

Daichi paused, letting the words float around for a moment.

Then, he pushed himself up to stare down at Kuroo.

"Wait a minute! You started liking me in _high school?"_ Daichi asked.

Kuroo rubbed the side of his neck. "Uh… yes?"

"W-When? How?" Daichi asked.

"I already told you when, and I don't understand your second question."

Daichi grabbed his pillow and slapped Kuroo's face with it once.

"You know what I mean!" Daichi said.

Kuroo lowered the pillow, giving a low chuckle. He reached up and hooked his elbow around Daichi's neck and gently tugged him back down on his chest.

"It wasn't quite love at first sight, but you were a lot of fun to tease," Kuroo explained. "Our rivalry really turned me on."

" _Oi."_

Kuroo laughed. "I'm kidding! Well, only a little bit," he said. "I don't know, Daichi. It was during some of the interactions we'd had. And then, once graduation was over, I felt… well, I felt a little empty since I didn't have a chance to talk to you again."

Daichi's heart wrenched painfully inside. "Tetsu, I'm so sorry. I wish I had stayed in contact with you." He winced, his hand curling into a fist on Kuroo's chest. "If I had, then maybe we could've been together sooner."

Kuroo rested his hand on Daichi's chest. "It's okay. Really. We're together now, and that's what counts."

Daichi smiled and tilted his head up, locking eyes with Kuroo. He leaned up and kissed Kuroo softly, the other man melting into the touch. Once they parted, Daichi snuggled back up with Kuroo, letting his eyes fall closed as Kuroo ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, wow," Kuroo said. "The stars really are prettier here."

Daichi craned his neck to peek out the bedroom window, and he noticed the large array of stars that filled the night sky. It was just as beautiful as the night he reunited with Kuroo.

He looked back up at Kuroo, taking in his kind smile, his messy hair, his muscled body… and the amazing sparkle in his eyes.

"Yeah," Daichi said, not even remotely talking about the stars anymore. "They really are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Come find me on [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucke1)  
> I like hearing from you all :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! Come find me on [Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucke1)  
> I like hearing from you all :)


End file.
